Who We Are:

The Furman Free Speech Alliance is a non-partisan organization founded by Furman University alumni to advocate for free expression and protect academic freedom on campus. We aim to provide support for students, professors, administrators, and our fellow alumni who support open debate and viewpoint diversity.​

The Furman Free Speech Alliance is not affiliated with Furman University.

Our core mission is to support Furman’s dedication to free expression and inquiry. Furman should be an intellectual setting where diverse ideas are respected, encouraging students to speak up for what they believe. We aspire to praise and support our alma mater in these efforts, and advocate for change where it falls short.

Furman has always been a community of outstanding faculty, sharp students, and open administrators. However, over the last several years, changes have divided the community, promoted intolerance, and imposed a one-sided intellectual and political culture. These changes have been so abrupt that even recent alumni say the campus has become unrecognizable over the past decade.

Who in the Furman Family would have imagined it necessary, as it was in the Spring 2023, for the university to offer armed police protection for two approved speakers? Who would believe the administration would remain silent when posters advertising those speakers were defaced or ripped down? You can read about the entire sorry story here.

If you believe free speech should be protected, intellectual freedom preserved, and diverse conversation encouraged at Furman, or simply wish to stay informed, please join us.

To learn more about the Furman Free Speech Alliance reach out to us at furmanfreespeech@gmail.com